


A Regular Magical Girl

by girlinstory



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Coming Out, Friendship, Gen, Harajuku, Movie Tag, Sick Fic, Trust, american infomercials, being outed, but also pickup lines, change my mind, gratuitous shopping, natsume is a magical girl, punk nastume, they burn the bucket hat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:34:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlinstory/pseuds/girlinstory
Summary: A short scene between Natsume and Natori set after the film. Editor's Note: Apparently not.
Relationships: Natori Shuuichi & Natsume Takashi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

Natsume returned home with Natori. The Ayakashi busied themselves patrolling the quiet apartment complex while Natsume called Touko. He fumbled, first his excuse, and then the actual phone. Natori took over. With only a little insinuation, and one cleared throat, Touko decided for herself that Natori had a fever and simply couldn't be left alone in his empty, ill-stocked apartment.

Natsume's hand itched to check Natori for a fever despite knowing it was a lie.

Natori was acting even more strangely than usual. He kept being _charming_ , even though he usually turned it off after they were alone for a few minutes. He was talking about relevant and topical matters, such as the ritual of release he had performed on Hibaki and how he had modified it based on their experience with Takuma-san, but he wouldn't stop smiling, and he was ending every sentence with a question, not allowing Natsume to get in any of his own.

Natsume wasn't as talkative as Natori, but he had done the same thing sometimes, when he was sick of being asked, "What's wrong?" (the "with you" was usually only implied).

After dinner, Natori took out the burnable garbage while Natsume took a bath. He spent most of it trying to figure out what _was_ wrong with Natori, so he didn't notice his wet hair dripping water down the hall until he slipped in it.

"We have to stop meeting like this," said Natori, a somewhat pained expression on his face. Natsume didn't think his elbow had connected that hard. "It makes it hard to resist a pickup line."

"Wasn't that a pickup line?" asked Natsume.

"Not that one." Natori plucked the towel from Natsume's shoulders and dropped it on his head. "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

Natsume scowled. "That just makes you seem untrustworthy. Especially when you do it to everyone."

Natori's smile was no less charming than usual when he said, "That's the point," so it took a moment for the meaning of his words to sink in.

Natsume could remember a time when he believed being alone was better than any alternative he could achieve. It was a particularly difficult period in his childhood, when he was staying with a bachelor salaryman who left him alone all day in an empty apartment with an empty fridge and came home drunk from another nomikai.

"What's wrong?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

Natori's smile didn't falter. "What do you mean?"

"Something's wrong. Tell me what it is. You keep saying that you want to give me a place where I don't have to lie. I want to give you that too, Natori-san."

It turned rueful next. "You could have just told me the rumors were wrong about Mukuo. I wouldn't have threatened him with my paper dolls."

Natsume blinked. "That's not why I didn't tell you! I-" He lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Natori-san. I didn't tell you about Mukuo because it didn't feel like my secret to tell. I didn't want to betray his trust."

"Of course not," said Natori. It was a little sad now, but still a smile. "I just… You know?"

Natsume shook his head.

Gone altogether. "I'm pretty much only an adult by the broadest definition of the word. And that's only because I have a job, or two, I guess, even if one is to play pretend, and the other one makes people think I do. And I technically have my own place, which I've only set fire to twice."

"What did you say?"

Now Natori's expression was one of regret. "I know I'm not... trustworthy. But even if you can't trust me, you need to know that I know that I can trust you." The expression intensified. "I mean… you've established yourself as a regular Magical Girl fighting for truth and justice or whatever. So if you say someone's a good guy, I'll believe you."

"Natori-san?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a good guy."


	2. Chapter 2

As though he had cursed himself, Natori came down with a fever the next day. Natsume went back to Hitoyoshi and returned six hours later with Touko's onion-throat-wraps and the ingredients for tamagozake. Nyanko-sensei was apparently busy, because it was a full moon. Natori hadn't asked.

Natsume spent the day puttering around the apartment while Natori rested. There weren't really any _things_ to clean, so he entertained himself by guessing how Sasago and Urihime had met their master. They never seemed to get tired of telling him he was wrong.

Unfortunately, neither Natsume nor the ayakashi could convince Natori not to attend his scheduled interview the next day on _ARAMA!_ He insisted he was fine through his bedroom door while getting dressed, which Natsume _almost_ believed until he emerged in board shorts, fashion glasses, a T-shirt that said SHOW ME YOUR KITTIES, and that horrible bucket hat.

Natsume accompanied Natori to the broadcasting station, where he was made to wait outside. Hiragi promised she would keep trying to subdue her master by any means necessary, which Natsume found only mildly reassuring.

Natori emerged thirty minutes later, looking even worse than he had when he went in. He was walking fast, but not as fast as the woman dragging him by the wrist. The ayakashi were close behind. Urihime looked mad, Sasago looked grim, and Hiragi looked confused. Natori snapped his fingers and they dispersed, although Hiragi looked a little mutinous about it.

"Ibeno-san, I'm very sorry, but I need to tell my friend-"

"Do you really think that's a good idea right now?" The woman asked, peering up at Natori over her aviators.

He shook her off. "I'll be quick."

"What's wrong, Natori-san?" asked Natsume. He lowered his voice as they drew nearer, "Is it youkai?"

Natori's laugh cracked through the cold morning air like a whip. "Worse. Paparazzi. I'll explain over the phone."

"The phone?"

"We have to take different cars. I'm leaving with Ibeno-san. I've called you a car, it should be here any minute. If anyone asks you any questions, act clueless."

They both waited for Nyanko-sensei to say something snide before remembering he wasn't there.

"Is Nyanko-sensei a werewolf?" Natori asked, somewhat absently.

"No, he's alcoholic," said Natsume.

"Oh. Thank goodness."

"I'm leaving you to the vultures if you ruin my day anymore than you already have!" called the woman who could only be Natori's agent.

"Coming, Ibeno-san. See you later, Natsume."

Natori followed her to an expensive-looking sedan, climbing into the passenger seat without comment.

Natsume waited for him to call, but after five minutes, he rolled his eyes and hit the speed dial.

"Calling so soon? Don't you think that's a little forward?"

"Shut up, Natori-san. What happened?"

"I… made a… I did something…" Natori made an annoyed sound, apparently at himself. "They asked me to corroborate or deny a rumor that I'm homosexual."

That was not what Natsume had expected. He had no idea what to say, but Natori saved him the trouble of figuring it out.

"I had two options. One was to tell the truth. The other was the lie. And lying seemed... disrespectful, I guess. I don't know. That's not it, but... there are people who have to lie, because it's not safe to tell the truth. I don't. I have security systems, and security guards, and security _youkai_ , so- Uh…" His voice got further away. "I said cameras, Ibeno-san. Security cameras."

"Natori."

"Anyway, now every news outlet on the island is going to be after verbal, or better yet, photographic proof. That's why I had to send you home in a different car. Do you understand?"

"So they wouldn't take pictures of me," Natsume realized. "I don't care, Natori-"

"Yes, you do. They'll camp out in Touko-san's maples and harass all your weird friends. And even if you don't care, I do."

"I- Wait a minute. My car's here."

"It's paid in advance. It'll take you to Hitoyoshi." He was quiet while Nasume greeted the driver, but as soon as the car door slammed shut, Natori asked, "Are any of them following you?

Natsume craned his neck. "I don't think so."

"Good. I've got to go now, or my manager is going to do something with that letter opener she keeps pointing at me. Says it's her 'work fidget toy,' but she only ever plays with it when she's working with m- Okay, Ibeno-san, I'm hanging up. Goodbye, Natsume. I'll-

"What you did was brave," Natsume said quickly. When Natori didn't reply, he took a deep breath and added, "I'm proud of you."

Natori still didn't reply. Natsume checked to make sure they were still connected, but they were, the seconds of Natori's silence slipping by.

"I'm sorry. I know that probably sounds stupid coming from someone younger than you. I just-"

"No," said Natori. He coughed. "Thank you, Natsume. That's probably the only thing that could make me feel better right now."

"Natori."

"I just have to wait till it dies down. They'll have a new scandal next week."

"Fine," said Natsume, "but I'm calling to check up on you, so turn on your phone. Once a day at 3:30 PM."

"Oh, my god."

"What?" Natsume sat up, nearly choking himself on the seatbelt. "Is it the paparazzi?"

"I wore my disguise on TV! I'm going to have to come up with a new one!"

Natsume couldn't help it. He started laughing.

"It's not funny, Natsume-kun! Do you have any idea how many of those hats I own? What am I going to _do_ with them all?"

"Burn them?"


	3. Chapter 3

"You answered!"

"You threatened to burn my hats if I didn't"

"No, I'm still going to do that." Natsume smiled into the receiver. "How are you?"

"Fine. Tired."

The smile fell. "You're not sleeping?"

"I was until you called."

"Natori-san, it's half-past three. You were up all night looking at the news, weren't you?"

"Actually, Urihime confiscated my router," said Natori, through, what sounded like, a stuck-out tongue. "I was up all night watching analog TV. Did you know they still make analog TV? I found American infomercials. Did you know they have _plots_?"

"Don't do an American infomercial, Natori-san."

"You're no fun." Definitely a stuck out tongue.

"I'm glad Urihime took your router, but with your phone turned off all day, how are you keeping in touch with your agent?" asked Natsume. He thought about ending it there, but he needed to know, even if Nyanko-sensei kept shaking his abnormally large head. "And your family?"

"Ibeno-san asked me to leave the damage control to her. She probably thinks I'd make it worse. She's right."

"But it's not-"

"Don't worry about it. She doesn't care who I do in my free time, but she's my agent, and I've built my career in romance. This is Japan, not _Yuri on Ice_." His voice went muffled for a moment. "Hiragi, can you go to the konbini and get me some more of that chocolate? You know the kind. You can take off after that. Tell Sasago and Urihime they can take the night off too. Thank you."

"What about your family?" Natsume asked again. He didn't know much about the Natori clan, but one thing he did know was that it contained a long lineage of people without sight. And one thing he knew about people without sight was that they didn't tend to understand people with it.

"No need to worry about that," Natori said blithely, and Natsume's brow furrowed. As if he could hear it over the phone, Natori sighed. "You're still going to, aren't you?"

"...Yes," said Natsume. He couldn't help worrying for orphans, no matter how old they were. "Are they-"

"Mom's dead, dad's not. Gramps is surprisingly still kicking, even if it is with one good leg, but he thinks the Myna bird is Grams so we mostly just let them be."

"If your father-"

"Natsume." Natori sighed again, and Natsume regretted his selfish questions. Natori needed his support right now, not an excavation of ancient traumas. He had just thought… Maybe Natori was shutting himself off again, and he would be happier if he could give his family a chance to make up for past mistakes. Natsume's reunion with Aoia Miyoko had proved surprisingly cathartic, for both of them, he believed.

"My father effectively disowned me after my mothers death," said Natori, breaking Natsume's line of thought and then his heart. "He blamed everything on my sight. Gramps too, even his bad leg, which was medically proven to be a combination or arthritis and karma."

Natsume was too busy realizing what that meant to laugh at the joke. "They blamed you for your mother's death?"

"Well, she killed herself, so they had more of a leg to stand on there. Get it? A leg to- No? Okay."

"Natori- I-"

"It's okay."

"It is not."

"It is now," said Natori. "Because it means I don't have to talk to them about this. See? Good things come to those who wait. Or is that… Revenge is a dish best served cold? I don't know. You don't still look at me as a mentor or anything, right? Good. Oh, don't tell Hiragi."

"W- What?"

"Yeah, it's stupid, but please don't tell her my mom committed suicide. I let her think it was an illness, and uh… It's a long story, but- please?"

"Of course," said Natsume. It was the least he could do to make up for this.

"Thanks. And uh, I'm sorry. For telling you all of that."

"I'm not!" Natsume clutched Nyanko-sensei so hard the yelp surely echoed over the phone, but Natsume didn't give Natori time to respond to either. "I'm sorry that I asked you like that, but I'm not sorry that you told me. I want to know more about you, Natori-san. You _are_ a mentor to me, and the more I learn about you, the more I want to be like you. Except-"

Natsume usually didn't struggle with earnestness, but he didn't know how much he could get away with before it scared Natori off.

"...Well, don't leave me hanging," Natori said eventually, his breath shaky with probably more than the laughter he allowed to be heard. "Except?"

"I think… You're like I was before I moved here. Before I met people like the Fujiwaras, or Nyanko-sensei, or you." _But worse_ , Natsume didn't say, _Because it had decades to fester_.

"Yeah," said Natori. "You don't mind?"

"Mind?"

"Being my mentor too?"

"Of course not!" Natsume squeezed Nyanko-sensei again, but he made sure to be gentle this time. "Does this mean you'll listen to me when I tell you to burn the hats?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Well," Natori put a hand on his hip, "How do I look?"

"Natori-san, i- it suits y- y- y-"

That was all Natsume got out before he lost control of his laughter.

They were in Tokyo for two days and three nights, staying at a hotel with American-style beds so fancy that Natsume felt guilty for sleeping in his. At least until Natori decided to jump on it.

Natsume had retaliated by ceremonially burning one of Natori's hats in the ice bucket. The hat was made of cotton so it burned out quickly, but they ended up sitting out on the balcony to avoid the smell until long after it had dissipated.

"You're clearly overcome by my fabulousness." Natori did a little twirl, causing the grommets on his kilt to jingle cheerfully.

"Has that always been a gay joke?" asked Natsume.

Natori laughed. It sounded a lot like the grommets. "I guess that's part of it."

"What's the rest of it?"

Natori frowned at himself in the mirror and adjusted one of his sporrans. "The worst thing you can do when trying to make friends is try too hard."

"Like the pickup lines."

"To be fair, a lot of it is learned behavior," said Natori. "Half of my interactions are with actors."

During one of their afternoon phone calls, they had been discussing a historical film of Natori's which Natsume had recently found on TV. At first, Natori didn't want to talk about it. " _The 1980s is not history!"_ Then Natsume admitted he had a passing interest in punk fashion. Before he knew it, he was booked for an all-expense-paid vacation to Tokyo. " _It's perfect! We'll spend the day trying on disguises."_

Natsume had been nervous at first, trying on clothes that suited his personality so terribly. The nervousness quickly turned to annoyance when Natori kept saying, "It suits you." It didn't matter what he tried on. The bondage pants with leg holes wider than the waist. The fur leg warmers. The lucky cat kigurumi. Natori could deliver the line with a perfectly straight face. Natsume had endeavored to exact his revenge but the PUNK ROCK MOM t-shirt finished him off first.

"Well?" said Natori. "How do I look?"

"Fabulous," said Natsume.

Natori stepped back into the changing room, raising his voice as he did, even though there was only a curtain between them. "We should get something to eat next. Oh, I know. There's a make-your-own-okonomiyaki place right next to Harajuku Ink."

"Ink?" Natsume repeated, half to himself. "I wouldn't expect a sume-i supply shop to be found in Harajuku."

"Not that kind of ink."

"Then what- Natori-san! Do you have a tattoo?"

"Not one you're old enough to see!"

Natsume turned around to hide blush, even though Natori couldn't see him. "Who would pay to make their own okonomiyaki?" he grumbled.

Natori laughed again. "Well, I don't spend much time in one place, and I work a lot of nights. If I buy a carton of eggs or a bottle of Kewpie, most of it will end up going to waste."

"That reminds me," said Natsume. "Touko-san's going to have more food for you when we get back."

Nyanko-sensei had also promised to bring some spirit sake back from his Dog Circle drinking party in exchange for, "Taking the brat off my paws for a few days," but Natsume didn't feel the need to mention that.

"I see," said Natori, emerging from the dressing room in his default disguise- khakis, a white button-up, and a clipboard. No one made eye contact with him in case he was collecting for charity.

The idea had been Hiragi's, who Natori had begun sending on errands since becoming a reluctant hikikomori. The konbini employees couldn't see her, but she always left the appropriate number of yen on the counter. Hiragi had admitted to Natsume that she avoided canvassers, even though they couldn't see her either. It was something about their aura. Hiragi still could not determine gender, but she could spot a solicitor from six blocks away.

The disguise had worked better than any bucket hat, and the shopping trip was a decided success. They ended up purchasing quite a few items, mostly for Natsume. Nothing too eccentric, but Natori had talked him into a few button-downs with shiji floral patterns and his first coat that wasn't a hand-me-down.

To Natori's surprise, Natsume made one more purchase- a single gold hoop, like the ones Misuzu wore, only significantly smaller.

He had his ear pierced at Harajuku Ink, while Yuya's shop cat kept Natori entertained. He tried to ask Yuya about Natori's tattoo, but the artist simply smiled and instructed him to blow out a hard breath when the needle pierced his ear. " _It shuts down a part of the brain that processes pain."_ Natsume had barely felt a thing, and decided to keep that in mind for the next time he fell off a roof when Natori wasn't around.

While Yuya was preparing the bill, Natsume had examined the piercing in a full-length mirror next to the ink cart. The small gold hoop blended seamlessly with his hair until the light caught it, and when Natori said, "It suits you," it sounded like he meant it.

Natori eventually purchased a few modern-traditional Japanese pieces for himself, which he paired with tortoiseshell glasses and a black straw fedora. Natsume had removed a small white down feather from his wallet and tucked it in the brim. " _From Mukuo. His true form."_ For once, he had made Natori blush.

"Well, if I have Touko-san's home cooking to anticipate, then I suppose the okonomiyaki isn't necessary. Oh, I know! There's a place around the corner that sells the best black sesame ice cream you'll ever try, and they serve it on this doughnut bun thing that just-" Natori smacked his lips in approval, and Natsume blushed again.

He did not have feelings for Natori. Natsume had decided this after several hours of very serious contemplation and a lot of manju from Nanatsujiya.

Natori was just a supernaturally attractive friend whom Natsume cared about very much, and Natsume was just an adolescent boy, who might have a few things to unpack when it came to his own sexuality. There was bound to be some confusion.

"That does sound good," he admitted. "Do we have to churn it ourselves?"

"Be nice or I'll make you carry the bags."

"I'm already carrying the bags, Natori-san."

"Well, your arms are surprisingly strong from carrying around that pig-cat all the time." Natori clutched his chest in a gesture that looked more appropriate to a stage actor than a film star. "Whereas I am a poor invalid with atrophied muscles from my long confinement."

"You are not an invalid, Natori-san."

Natori let go of his chest. "Well, I am limp-wristed."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter contains spoilers for Season Six Episodes 10-11.

"You should burn it," Natori said to himself, watching the magical fire sweep through the Hakozaki estate.

"You should be careful," he said to Natsume later that night. They were sitting at the table in his apartment, excuses to the Fujiwaras long since insinuated. Nyanko-sensei was on top of the table, face first in another jar of pickles from Touko-san.

"At first- At first I thought you should burn it," he admitted, and Natsume's eyes widened. "You're probably imagining what would happen to the youkai whose names it still contained, but you have to understand that... I'm imagining what could happen to you. The Natori family has always specialized in paper. I've seen forbidden grimoires before. I've seen ones like the Petit Hierozoicon, but I've also seen ones that destroyed their owners."

"The pet what?"

"Uh, that's a story for another time." Natori waved a wand dismissively and nearly knocked Nyanko-sensei off the table.

"If you have something to say, spit it out, brat," Nyanko-sensei surfaced. He sounded annoyed, but the expression on his oddly-ornamental face was shrewd.

"I knew you were using forbidden magic. I've known for a while, but I thought it was something I could take from you- a burden I could bear. I already have one curse. I knew you wouldn't approve, but I thought I was one step ahead of you I was... pleased," Natori said, in one of the most disgusted tones Natsume had ever heard from someone who wasn't Hinoe, "that I had finally found a way to help you."

"Natori-san, you-"

"I didn't know it would be dear to you."

"Natori-san."

"Reiko's kind spirit seems to be reflected in the Book of Friends, but I still worry." Natori shrugged self-consciously.

"Don't bother," said Nyanko-sensei, expression back to as normal as it ever was. "I've been telling him for years that he should just give the book to me."

"Oh, that's why Hiragi doesn't like you," Natori realized. "She can tell you're a solicitor."

The pig-cat ignored him. "His sense of self-preservation is worse than his gaydar."

"Where did you learn- No." Natori shook his head, as of it was an Etch-a-Sketch and he could undo his thoughts. "I don't want to know."

Nyanko-sensei continued to ignore him. "It doesn't matter how many people fuss over the brat, he doesn't listen to any-"

"I'll be careful," said Natsume. He took the Book of Friends from his bag and put it on the table between them. He laid a hand on it, almost as though it was a bible he was swearing on. "I'll get better at it. I'll ask you for help when I need it. Nyanko-sensei and the Dog's Circle too. I won't do anything risky, and I'll try to stop falling off things. I promise."

Nyanko-sensei huffed and jumped off the table. "Humans," was all he had to say, before waddling off into the middle distance, probably to start another fight with Hiragi.

"After we met Mukuo," said Natori, "I told you… I trusted you. Didn't I?"

"You did."

"Then… don't break your promise," he finished lamely.

"I won't."

Natori placed his hand on top of Natsume's, on top of the Book of Friends. He telegraphed the gesture, in case it wasn't a welcome one, but Natsume's only response was to turn his own hand palm-up.


End file.
